Zane Maloney took his first Formula 2 victory after the Rodin Motorsport driver moved from eighth on the grid to win the Sprint Race in Bahrain.
The newly announced Sauber Academy member made a fast start and quickly moved up to fourth place at the end of Lap 1.
He showed great pace and after dispatching rivals Enzo Fittipaldi and Victor Martins, he overtook DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford to take a lead that he would not relinquish on lap 4.
Aston Martin Development driver Crawford followed Maloney across the line to finish second, while Campos Racing rookie Josep María Martí moved up from 11th on the grid to take the final podium spot. .
Formula 2 highlights: 2024 Bahrain GP sprint race
Martí edged out fellow Red Bull Academy driver and teammate Isack Hadjar to take third, with the Frenchman finishing fourth ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight rookie Paul Aron.
Saturday’s polesitter in the feature race, Gabriel Bortoleto, saved his tires to make a late advance and finish sixth after a pre-race pep talk from his McLaren boss Zak Brown.
READ MORE: Crawford joins Aston Martin driver development program
He was followed by Williams-backed ART Grand Prix driver Zak O’Sullivan, who lost places to the soft-tyre riders throughout the race after opting for the hard ones.
However, he also recovered late to finish seventh ahead of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger who took the final point of the afternoon.
For a full and detailed report of the FIA Formula 2 sprint race, visit the F2 website here.